Using Modern Contraception While Wanting a Child: What Does Contraceptive Over-Use Mean for the Human Rights-Based Approach in Burkina Faso? Insights from PMA2020 Data

Moussa Lonkila Zan (), Claudine Sauvain-Dugerdil and Clémentine Rossier
Additional contact information
Moussa Lonkila Zan: Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population, Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou 03 BP 7118, Burkina Faso
Claudine Sauvain-Dugerdil: Institute of Demography and Socioeconomy, University of Geneva, 1211 Genève 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Clémentine Rossier: Institute of Demography and Socioeconomy, University of Geneva, 1211 Genève 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-13

Abstract: (1) Background: Sustainable development goal 5.6 calls for “universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights” to fulfil sexual and reproductive practices. The capability approach helps refine the analysis of contraceptive use by going beyond the dichotomous view of contraceptive use as use/non-use to focus on women’s freedom to choose what they have good reason to value. Using the case of Burkina Faso, we probe more deeply into whether contraceptive use reflects real progress in women’s reproductive rights to realize the fertility projects they value. (2) Methods: We use PMA2020 data collected in Burkina Faso between December 2018 and January 2019. The survey included 3329 women with a participation rate of 97.7%. The PMA2020 female core questionnaire solicits information on fertility and contraceptive behavior, much like the DHS. We asked a series of specific questions about cognitive and psychosocial access relating to FP. We examined bivariate associations between our outcome measure “contraceptive behavior” and a set of independent variables. We also used logistic regression models to evaluate associations with endowments/conversion and capability factors and current functioning by focusing on overuse (i.e., use of contraceptives despite desiring pregnancy within the next 12 months). (3) Results: Women who said their ideal number of children was “up to God” had the highest level of overuse, which was also higher among women living in communities with medium acceptance of contraception and greater support for fertility. Women who have higher and middle levels of information tend to engage less in overuse than those with lower information levels. (4) Conclusions: We conclude that overuse (contraceptive use when desiring a child soon) may reveal a lack of rights, as it is associated with a lack of information about contraceptives and women’s inability to conceive an ideal number of children. Efforts should be made to enhance women’s level of contraceptive information.

Keywords: reproductive rights; capability; ambivalence; unmet need; modern contraception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/9/447/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/9/447/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:13:y:2024:i:9:p:447-:d:1465367

Access Statistics for this article

Social Sciences is currently edited by Ms. Yvonne Chu

More articles in Social Sciences from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().